MarcoAce Week Collection
by revolunacyfireboy
Summary: June 22nd - June 28th is MarcoAce week. This is my contribution. Day 7: Random (Fantasy). "He'd never noticed a door there before. He probably should have asked Marco about it but surely it was safe; it wouldn't be here if it wasn't, right?"
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Beckoning  
**Rating:** G (?)  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace  
**Warning(s):** Vague mentions of death.

Fire had always had an allure to it; even before his devil fruit but especially after.

It drew his eye; his gaze lingered longer on a flame than most would.

Sometimes, when he couldn't get his mind to focus on work that needed to be done, he would reach out to his candle and watch as his blue flame licked at the orange, both swallowing and encouraging it.  
It was a hypnotic sight, blue and orange intertwined not quite in a duel but more a dance.

So, of course, Ace's presence beckoned him.

Even without the Mera Mera no Mi, Ace burned with a vim and vigor that few others possessed.  
He did nothing half way (or half assed), lived like he was dying, ate enough for an army, and drew others to him like moths drew to flame (a painful analogy).

There was a constant reminder, like a broken record in his head, that beat into his mind what was and wasn't okay. He needed that mantra, for it was all too tempting to let flame leap from his fingertips and across Ace's cheek (over a shoulder, along a hip, down his spine) to see what reaction he could draw; to see if Ace's fire would answer back.  
Marco wanted that, wanted that brilliant orange flame to lap at his own blue, answer in kind and swallow it whole.

It sounded... _sexual_ when he thought about it that way, but it wasn't as if he only wanted Ace's flame; his body, his company, his attention... Marco wanted it all.

Which was why he _needed_ the mantra.

Ace didn't.

Ace pushed every button he possessed, and carved new ones. He made a place by Marco's side, and refused to be budged from it.  
Marco should have put down a firmer foot, should have enforced his rules more, should have listened to his fucking mantra; Ace found all the holes in his rules and armor and it lead to Marco finding a pair of firm lips against his own, and a warm body pressing insistently against him.

Hesitantly, Marco set aside his rules.

Hesitantly, he gave Ace what he wanted.

Hesitantly, he finally let his blue flames lick across the tan body beneath him.

Hesitantly, he fell in love with the cocky kid who at one point hadn't even wanted to join them.

Ace ran head first into it all, fire burning bright enough to illuminate any darkness that may have otherwise lingered.

But Ace didn't belong only to him.  
Ace didn't care for only him.  
It was understandable, his anger, with what had happened to their friend, their brother.

It never should have ended like this.  
His flame never should have been extinguished.  
It was a travesty of 'justice', a tragedy of lost life.

Never again did his own vividly hued flames burn as bright as they once had.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Don't Ignore Me  
**Rating:** G  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace  
**Warning(s):** n/a

"Is... Ace mad at you?"

"No. Why?"

Thatch shrugged, and offered one of his trade mark grins before answering. "Just wondering. He, ah, use to text you a lot. Noticed that stopped."

Marco glanced at his dark phone screen. "Yeah, but I told him to cut back on it. I can't get anything done talking to him all day, yoi." Of course, he hadn't really expected Ace to listen; Ace was very much a person who did whatever he liked.

"And he actually listened, huh. Surprising."  
Marco didn't answer; he liked Thatch, really, that's why they were friends, but the man was just as bad as Ace when it came to not letting him get work done.

"Hey, when was the last time you and Ace went on a date?"

Marco almost dropped his pen. "What? That's a little personal, isn't it Thatch?" His friend just laughed. "I'm not trying to pry. Just, don't you think Ace might feel a little neglected?"  
"Neglected?"  
"Yeah. Not that you treat him badly, but you work long hours and you don't want him to text very often, and I'm going to guess you two haven't had a date or time for just the two of you in a while. He might be feeling a little neglected by you, or maybe just lonely."  
"I don't think so, yoi. He hasn't said anything to me."

"You're such an idiot sometimes Marco." Thatch punctuated his statement by hitting Marco with a stack of papers. He was wise enough to move out of Marco's reach immediately after.  
"You know, if Ace breaks up with you I'll snatch him up without hesitation."  
"That's going too far, yoi!"  
But Thatch was already walking away, not listening to him.

Marco closed his eyes, counted backwards from ten. Murdering his best friend was _not_ on the agenda for today.  
"...Neglecting, huh?"  
Surely that wasn't right. Maybe they hadn't gone on a date in a few days (more like weeks), and yes he had told Ace to not text as much, but he still gave Ace lots of attention. And no one could say he didn't love Ace very much.

Yeah.  
Thatch was just full of shit.  
Wouldn't be the first time.

The thought and Thatch's words were soon pushed to the back of his mind amidst the return to his work, and almost forgotten by the time he arrived home.  
They came floating back vaguely when he didn't receive his normally enthusiastic (and nearly back breaking) greeting from his lover.  
It was eerily quiet in the house, apart from the TV playing, and Marco started to think Ace wasn't in the house until he found him; not that Ace was hiding, just lying quietly on the couch.

"Ace, I'm home."  
"I can see that." Ace's expression looked absolutely 'pout-y'.  
"I'm surprised you didn't come greet me."  
"I'm not a fucking dog, you know."  
And _that_ comment stung. Maybe Thatch wasn't so full of shit.

"Ace. What's wrong?" Marco reached out to grab Ace's shoulder, but he just moved out of the way.  
"Nothing." He wouldn't look Marco in the eye even as he started to move past him. "What do you want to eat? We need to go shopping so there isn't much."

"Ace."  
"What?"  
"Look at me."  
Ace finally did meet his gaze, but it felt more like a staring competition with a petulant child. Really, they were both idiots here, weren't they?

"Ace, come here a moment."  
"What, why?"  
"Come here, I'll show you." Hesitantly, Ace did step closer and Marco took his hand when he was close enough. The pout-y expression melted away into confusion as Marco tugged him into a hug.  
"You're mad at me, aren't you?"  
"No..."

"Ace." Marco kissed his lovers forehead, then his cheek. "If you're not mad, then I want to know what's wrong. If you are, then I want to talk about it."  
"I'm not really _that_ angry, I guess. I just feel kind of lonely." Ace finally returned the hug, and Marco chuckled.

"I realize that now; I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. It's been a while since our last date, hmm? If you feel like putting on a shirt, why don't we go out to eat?"  
And just like that, Ace's face lit up in a bright smile, crushing Marco in a much tighter embrace.  
Really, he was such an idiot. His lover was such an easy to please person who only desired a little of his time and attention, and yet Marco had somehow managed to make him miserable.

Well, that would change from now on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** On My Way To Work  
**Rating:** G  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace  
**Warning(s):** None

Opposite side, two rows up.  
That's where the young man who caught his eye always sat.

It wasn't that Marco was watching him, but the black-haired man was unique - always wearing bright clothing, his shirt always half open, chatting animatedly to anyone who engaged him, politely giving up his seat to anyone who needed it.  
There was a college along the same route, further down, so Marco assumed he was a student.  
He rode the bus everyday as well, a familiar face among an ever changing crowd.

So, he couldn't help but notice when the young man suddenly wasn't there.

They had never even spoken before, yet his sudden absence was startling and Marco couldn't stop himself from wondering about him.  
Had he stopped taking the bus? Had he moved? Was he hurt?  
He acknowledged it was a little weird (creepy) to worry about someone whose name he didn't even know, yet the fact that he didn't know anything gnawed at him, even more so as days turned into a month.  
He wondered if he'd ever see the young man again.

"Uhm, excuse me?"  
Well, that was _fast_.  
Marco looked up, slightly startled, and was met with an awkward grin. "Hey, sorry, but can I sit with you? All the other aisle seats are taken and well..." He gestured awkwardly to his crutches and cast.

"Of course," Marco moved his bag. "I'll be getting off in a few stops, though."  
"No problem! I'll be able to get out of your way. But man, you sure are a life saver!"  
"It's no problem. It's just good to see you didn't die."

Marco caught the words far too late to stop himself from saying them. The other man gave him a surprised look, before breaking into loud laughter.  
"What's so funny?" He asked hesitantly.  
"Well, I never thought anyone would notice I hadn't been on the bus in a while. Got their own things to worry about, you know? So, is it just a coincidental thing or are you stalking me?"  
"What?" Marco felt a small bit of panic well up. Surely he hadn't come off _that_ bad? "No, no, I'm not- You're just a very noticeable person and-" He was cut off by more laughter.

"Whoa, sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. I was only teasing you a bit, I know you're not stalking me." He held out a hand. "My name is Ace, by the way."  
Ace's hand was warm, and slightly calloused, and he had the vague sense that they'd met before. "Marco."

The bright grin Ace was sporting faded slightly. "Marco, huh? I swear I've heard that name before."  
"Probably in a pool, followed by 'Polo'."  
As Ace broke into a new fit of laughter, drawing attention from other people around them, Marco noted that neither of them had let go of the others hand.  
He felt like he never wanted to let go.

His sentiment was apparently echoed as, even when he had calmed down, Ace didn't move his hand away and spent the entire bus trip chatting to Marco about things, sometimes even things he wouldn't normally care about but he liked talking to Ace about them.

"I think," Ace started, as Marco's stop was coming up and the bus slowed down. "That we might just become good friends."

He gave Ace a gentle smile and finally let go of his hand to grab his bag. "I think you might just be right."

Ace's bright smile was in his mind for the rest of the day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Wake Up Call  
**Rating:** Teen  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace (ish)  
**Warning(s):** Mentions of character death

Everyone understood why he wanted to be left alone.  
They respected him, and his feelings, and knew that he needed time.  
But Ace not eating was too much, a final straw for Marco. They hadn't been through _hell_ just for him waste away into nothing; he'd get Ace to eat even if it meant forcing him.

"Ace." There was no answer when he knocked and called his name, but Marco hadn't expected there to be. "I'm coming in." The room was dark; he could just make out Ace's body on his bed. "I've brought you something to eat."  
The young man didn't move, and Marco could only sigh.

"Ace, please," He set the bowel of soup he was holding on the bare desk and set about looking for a candle and match. "We're all worried about you. The nurses are going to put you on an IV if this keeps up, you know."  
"Don't." It was a quiet little plea, and Marco wasn't even sure he heard it. "Don't what, yoi?"

Ace rolled from his side to his back, and even with only the light from the hall Marco could see that his once flat, toned, stomach was now slightly concave. It hurt to think about, and he clenched his jaw to keep from mentioning it. "Don't worry about me. I don't deserve it."  
"That's not true." There was a tremor in his voice, but Marco ignored it. "You deserve it as much as anyone else."

"If I hadn't been born," He abandoned his search for a source of light, and turned his full attention to Ace. "Everyone would have been happier. Sabo, Thatch, Pops, Luffy... They'd all still be here. It's because I was born that they died."

"Ace, that's _not_ true." He wanted to say more, but every word felt cheap and false and there was a rising anger in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to say something hurtful. "Please, come and eat, it's hurting everyone to know you're wasting away and they can't help, yoi."

"Don't lie to me, Marco," Ace rolled onto his side again, and with his eyes adjusted slightly to the dim lighting Marco could see almost gouge like scratch marks along his shoulder blades and side. "It's my fault Pops is dead-" "Ace that's enough." "Everyone must hate me-" "No one thinks that!" "If only I'd been stronger, if only I hadn't been born-" "That's _enough_!"

Ace's wrist was too thin in his grasp, too fragile for the young man he knew, wide eyes underlined with dark lines. "There is not a single person on this ship who hates you, and if there is then I'll boot them off myself because you are our nakama and you deserve to be here, to be alive." Ace's dark eyes were shining and he tried to protest but Marco continued talking over him. "The people who loved you, the people who died for you, do you think they'd be happy seeing you like this? Do you think they want this for you? We love you Ace, I love you, and-"

"You love me?"

The question, the fact that out of everything he had said Ace focused on _that_ part, throws him off for a moment and Marco cannot do anything more than open and close his mouth uselessly.  
"Yes, I love you."

"How long?"  
It's not quite the question he expected, he expected Ace to ask why, but he takes it as a positive sign; so he smiles and ruffles Ace's messy hair. "If you'll eat something for me, I'll answer anything you want to ask me."  
Ace nodded, and Marco felt a small flame of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, the old Ace could come back now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Save The Last Dance For Me  
**Rating:** Teen  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace  
**Warning(s):** Naughty Language (that's so awkward tbh)

Parties on the ship were common.

Sometimes they were small, little more than a group (or few groups) who talked loudly and drank a little more than normal. Other times they were large celebrations, over-flowing with drink and food and the entire crew became involved.  
This was one of the latter.  
Lanterns swung on their posts, casting off odd shadows of those who danced and made merry in front of them. Tables, makeshift and otherwise, were laden with food and not a single person didn't have an overflowing mug in hand.

Marco stood off to the side, watching his nakama with a faint smile; he wasn't one to get in the middle of the merry making, so much more content to watch everyone.  
Ace was the complete opposite of him. In the middle of everything, the young man was speaking loudly enough for his voice to carry across the ship, using his hands and body to tell his story as much as his mouth.  
It was exhausting just watching him alone.

Marco chuckled to himself as he thought about how far Ace had come, how he use to keep to himself and brooded all the time.  
"Hey, wanna share the joke, old man?"  
His gaze settled on Ace, who had come to stand beside him and was grinning up at him.  
"Mmm, not with a brat like you, yoi."  
"That's not nice Marco. Oh, hey, you should come dance with me!"

"Ah, aren't you scared an 'old man' like me will break his hip?"  
"Oh please," Ace rolls his eyes, and elbows him. "If you were gonna break your hip, I think you would have done it one of the times you were fucking me so hard I could almost see stars."  
Marco choked on his drink and Ace danced away from his grasp, laughing brightly at his own words.

"Ace, really," He had spilled a little of his brew down his chest and it made him feel ridiculous. "Keep in mind where you are when open your mouth, yoi."  
"Sorry, sorry." Except he's not, really. "But, it really is a shame you won't dance with me."

He started to say something, but then Marco glimpsed Ace's expression and stopped; the young man was watching the others who were dancing with an almost wistful expression.  
Marco sighed and smiled softly; really, he couldn't win against Ace.

"You really want to dance, yoi?" His lover looked up at him, first surprised but then he grinned eagerly. "Alright then, come here."  
Marco led the younger man away from where everyone else was gathered, to a slightly darker and quieter area of the ship.

Ace didn't even argue with him, more than happy to let Marco guide his hands into place and then guide him into a dance; they were off-beat from the music playing, and doing little more than swaying back and forth in a circle yet even as they stepped on each others toes and banged into boxes of supplies yet to be put away they were laughing.

Here, under the night sky and in each others arms, everything was perfect.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Lacrimosa  
**Rating:** Teen(ish)  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace  
**Warning(s):** Depressing theme

It wasn't right.  
It wasn't fair.  
He didn't deserve to be here, not in this place that reeked of cleaning products and illness.  
He looked almost as if he were sleeping, so oddly still, yet all the machines and wires and tubes were a constant reminder that he was fighting for life.

"Hey, Marco," His raspy voice sounds out of place and too loud in the room, even with the machines making noise. "It's been a month now. Time to wake up, old man, this is too much sleep even for you."  
Ace tried to laugh, like he use to when teasing Marco about sleeping late but all that came was a sob.

"You shitty old man." It felt right to be angry, even if it was selfish. "Shit, how can you do this to me? You promised you would never make me cry, well what the hell do you think I'm doing now? Laughing? Fuck you Marco, fuck you with a rusty goddamn pipe." It felt cathartic, if not childish.  
Ace wiped away his tears with his sleeve because no one was here to tell him not to, and the thought made him laugh sadly.

"Man, I'm so pathetic. You'd scold me for sure for acting like such a little kid, right?" He took Marco's hand in his own, squeezed it lightly; it was a small comfort to imagine he felt a response. "Hey, you really need to wake up soon, okay?" Ace was speaking to the floor now, and no longer was he trying to hold back his tears. "I need you to wake up, Marco, and tell me everything's gonna be alright and scold me for acting bratty."

"Please."  
Ace's voice broke as he spoke. It was painful.  
"I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Door  
**Rating:** G  
**Pairing:** Marco/Ace  
**Warning(s):** Nah

He'd never noticed a door there before.

It wasn't odd to sometimes find things that weren't there before, or to find objects in different locations but never had Ace encountered a new door or found one in someplace it wasn't before.  
It was bizarre, and he probably should have asked Marco about it but surely it was safe; it wouldn't be here if it wasn't, right?

His hand was on the handle and about to turn it when a much paler hand closed around his wrist. "What are you doing, yoi?"

"Marco." Ace let go of the door's handle, turning towards the older man. "What's behind this door?" The blond had never stopped him from going anywhere he had wanted before.  
"Nowhere good for you. Leave it be and come back to the main area."

"Marco, that doesn't answer my question." Ace pulled his hand away, refusing to be moved until he had a satisfactory answer. "What's behind this door, honestly?"

Marco sighed wearily. "Ace, are you happy here?"  
"What? Of course I'm happy! I have you and everyone else and this place is always full of fun things, how could I not be happy?"  
"And," The blond stepped closer, and pressed a hand to his cheek; Ace leaned into the gentle touch. "You love me? Trust me?"  
"Of course I do."

"Do you miss the world you came from?"  
_That_ was a much harder to answer question. "I don't know. I miss my brothers, but not really that place."  
"That door, what lies behind it will take you back to your world." Marco stepped away from him, and Ace already missed his touch. "I doubt that door will ever appear again, so if you wish to go back to your brothers then go now. However, I also doubt that you will ever find your way here again, so if you leave you will never see me nor anyone else here again." The blond turned and began to walk away from the door, and Ace. "Choose carefully, yoi."

Choose carefully?  
He had to choose between his brothers, and his friends and lover?  
It was unfair.

Ace glanced back at the door behind him; it seemed so plain and innocent, yet it was offering him such a difficult decision.  
He sighed.  
"Hey, Marco!" The blond halted, and turned slightly. Ace took a hesitant step, and then as if someone were urging him forward he hurried to his lovers side.  
"Are you sure you made the right choice?" He knew Marco was trying to be apathetic, but he was kind of foiled by a small smile.

"Yeah." From the corner of his eye, he noticed the door was already gone. "I'm one hundred percent sure."


End file.
